Web Design, Social Networking the Great Divide

An article on BBC News, Social sites reveal class divide  illustrated that just like the real world, social networking websites are showing signs of social divide, class and societal values.

The article was based on research by a PhD student Danah Boyd  from the School of Information Sciences at UC Berkeley. The research is still currently in its draft phase and largely based on statistics on the US, though some broad results for the research so far illustrate the following:

• Geography, race and religion are significant influences within social networks, it makes targeting specific audiences online and within social networks more effective.
• The research revealed that Facebook users tend to be white and come from families who encourages children to attend college, whereby  MySpace users tend to come from families where parents did not attend college.

There is no conclusion in the research as to whether one social networks is better than the other, though the results reveal that social networks are mimicking the trends and process of traditional societal values.

Wiliam understands the power and influences social networks has on the effectiveness of marketing strategies, therefore Wiliam investigates its clients target audience before the design and development of a website. By understanding its client’s target audience Wiliam is able to advise on the specific web strategies and social networking websites its clients should partner or participate with in order to drive traffic and develop the websites potential as a company’s key marketing tool.

If you require further information on social networking and how it can be incorporated in your marketing strategies please visit www.wiliam.com.au.